Skip to content

Steve P

Two Nights in a Brothel

Two Nights in a Brothel

  • Travel
Here we are, at the end of our five week ramble through England, Germany and France. Before taking the Eurostar back to London to catch our flight home, we thought we’d spend a couple of days in Paris.

On previous visits, we’ve stayed in small, usually friendly, hotels

Io Amo Leonardo – Bien Sur

Io Amo Leonardo – Bien Sur

  • Travel
Leonardo, a son of Tuscany. Proudly claimed by Vinci, his home town. “Leonardo da Vinci”, get it?

So how did Leonardo come to be buried in France? Why did he bring the Mona Lisa with him when he moved to Amboise a few years before his death?

Before answering those

Le Pont Canal

Le Pont Canal

  • Travel
As you may know, France is criss-crossed by canals. These were originally used to transport goods, but are now mostly used by recreational boaters.

At the end of the 19th century, officials were unhappy with having the main north-south canal cross the flood-prone Loire, so they decided that a bridge

Nan-see

Nan-see

Departing Strasbourg with some reluctance, we made a short drive to Nancy (see pronunciation, above). This much smaller city turned out to have a beautiful central core. Left unphotographed is a large and popular park with the usual French compliment of strolling paths, ponds, and places to drink wine.

Maybe

Which is Better?

Which is Better?

  • Travel
Most churches are inarguably better decorated on the inside than the outside. After all, that’s where God and the parishioners money reside. But Strasbourg Cathedral calls that conventional wisdom into question.

Sure, the interior is fantastic, including a set of organ pipes that have been affixed high on the

Crossing the Frontier

Crossing the Frontier

  • Travel
We’re in France! Specifically, Strasbourg in Alsace. I love France and the French. How can you not love people who value art, cuisine and leisure and put philosophers, musicians and scientists on their currency?

I have a huge post coming up on the Cathedral, but first a few photos

Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden

  • Travel
During our two and a half days in Baden-Baden we did a couple of walks through the town and surrounding area. As a spa town, Baden-Baden attracted more than its share of major and minor nobility, and wealthy commoners. As the photos show, they built some pretty nice homes for
Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?

Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?

  • Travel
Wait, I’ve already done a Blood, Sweat and Tears pun in my Winston Churchill post. Forget that you read this title.

Today, we left Baden-Baden and drove south on Highway 500 right down the middle of the Black Forest (think cuckoo clocks) to Furtwangen. Should you find yourself here,

Bond. James Bond.

Bond. James Bond.

  • Travel
Remember the 007 movies where Bond would strip off a wet suit or something revealing an impeccable tuxedo underneath? Then he’d stroll into a casino that looked nothing like the ones most of us have seen.

Today we visited the casino at Baden-Baden, an old school German spa town.

Würzburg

Würzburg

  • Travel
We made the 26km drive from Vogelsburg to Würzburg in the rain this morning to have a look at the Rezidence, the opulent home of a series of Prince-Bishops starting in the early 18th century. I had low expectations. Once again life demonstrated that I am an idiot.

“Opulent” barely

Cycling in Bavaria

Cycling in Bavaria

  • Travel
Did I mention that we are in Vogelsburg on the banks of the Main River because we want to do a bit of cycling? Yes, I did. All that’s been missing is the sun. On a serious cycle tour, you ride rain or shine, wind or calm, hot or
Vogelsburg

Vogelsburg

When I told Siegi that I wanted to do some cycling, he recommended villages along the Main river. Today, we checked into a hotel called Vogelsburg, near Volkach. You’ll probably have to look for it on a map. but that’s a good thing.

Vogelsburg has an excellent restaurant,

Tempelhof

Tempelhof

  • Travel
Bzzzzzzt! We’re back in Berlin (not really, but for purposes of this narrative). Specifically in the former American sector of West Berlin at one of the largest buildings in the world: Tempelhof Airport.

If really big empty buildings are your thing, you are going to love these photos. The

One, at last!

One, at last!

  • Travel
As I’ve said before, I’m not a great photographer. I just snap what I see in order to share with you. But every now and then I manage to take one that I think is pretty good.